Picks for going beyond the hype to see some hidden gems.

127 Hours cuts through

Danny Boyle stays on the edge with stylistic tension and an adrenaline rushed performance by James Franco.

Danny Boyle takes what is a very simple story---the true account of rock climber Aron Ralston who gets trapped beneath a boulder while spending a weekend in the Utah desert---and squeezes every last drop of tension from it, using all the stylistic arrows in his quiver. That includes split-screen, zooms and jagged spurs of sound. James Franco as Ralston is a coil for the electricity Boyle delivers. Ralston tries everything he possibly can to free himself, succumbing to comforting flashbacks and hallucinations of escape. And when the much-publicized limb-severing takes place, it’s not for those with a tender disposition, nor should claustrophobes invest in a ticket. But for fans of cinema, it’s an adrenalized, impressive 94 minutes.